Serious Hatch Issues?? - **Sad Ending**

[mangled]

Okay, so as many of you know, I'm at the end of day 20. I have 2 hatched, and right now there are STILL the six pips since yesterday, and one partially out. Of the six pips, 5 have been there close to or over 24 hours.

From what I'm seeing, the chicks are orientated in the shell the wrong way. Three of the six pips now are on the bottom of the shell, away from the air cell.

I took the one that has been struggling since yesterday around 5 PM, and took some of the shell of the membrane, and the membrane is just SO dry, it's sticking to them. I have the humidity jacked up to 78%.

With taking some of the shell away from the membrane, the third chick is pretty much out of the shell, but is too exhausted to do more.

Am I worrying too much, what should I do?
Em

 

[Katy]

It's a judgement call whether to help or not. I've never had much luck with helping chicks to hatch. Are they pipping on the bottom or just very low on the sides?

 

[mangled]

Just very low on the sides. The first one that hatched pipped about 3 hours after I put them up into the egg crtons and stopped turning.
I'm considering taking them out of the cartons, or would that mess things up even more?

I had a few air cells that were a bit off center to the end of the egg, but none on the side where they're pipping.

This is my first successful incubation & hatch...I'm just nervous, I guess.

Em

 

[MandyH]

I AM NOT CONDONING HELPING , BUT if the membrane is dry and white and you didn't get any blood, they are most likely ready to come out. If you see red/blood stop though. Opening the egg more just makes the membrane dryer and it will get tight around the chick and suffocate it.

 

[Katy]

I wish I could give you an easy answer. Can you see the beaks in the pips? If you open it long enough to take them out of the cartons you're going to lose your humidity which wouldn't be good at all. I've had eggs with just a small pip for 24+ hours that all of a sudden took off and started zipping. If it were me I'd wait just because it's only day 20. Sorry...wish I could be more help.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I'm with Katy your only on day 20....I wouldn't be opening the bator...

 

[mangled]

Okay, thanks guys.

You know, you think you've gotten all your information together, then they start hatching and your mind just goes blank.

It's my first time hatching, so I'll keep my hands tied behind my back and press my nose to the glass and pray for my babies.

My husband says I having hatching anxiety.

And still, I'm all ready to go and do it again.

Thanks all-
Em

 

[Katy]

How are they doing this morning?

 

[Guitartists]

Any progress??

 

[littlelemon]

I'm sorry to hijack this thread, but I am dealing with the same issues. My chicks began hatching two days ago. I have 13 out of 18 hatched, but 5 of the eggs seem to have only "half hatched". They are all at the point where there is a hole in the egg and I can see beak, one of the eggs looks like it has been ready to hatch for a full day now-the shell is broken off all the way around, but nothing. I could see a pulse in there yesterday, but today, no pulse

I think these eggs may have died. I will give them another day, but I have a feeling that they are gone. How could this have happened? I did briefly open the incubator to remove the hatched chicks yesterday, but only because some of them had been in there for 24 hours already. Could that have really messed up the humidity and temp so much that the chicks could not continue to hatch? It seems so strange that ALL of the last 5 eggs just stopped hatching at the same time.